NCAA Basketball: Myles Powell leads early 2019-20 National Player of the Year race

Michigan State has been somewhat disappointing as the preseason No. 1 team in the country with a 5-2 start that includes losses to Kentucky and Virginia Tech, but none of their problems have to do with Cassius Winston. In fact, their star point guard has been the biggest reason things haven’t been worse for Sparty.

Despite dealing with the tragic death of his brother a few days after the start of the season, Winston has remained dominant, averaging 17.9 ppg and 6.0 apg.

He played well in the season opener against Kentucky and then even better in a road victory over Seton Hall, scoring 21 points while dishing out five assists and hitting some big shots down the stretch.

At the Maui Invitational, his best performance came against Georgia’s Edwards, as he scored 28 points to go along with eight assists in a win.

Winston has already solidified his place as one of the nation’s best players and is the unquestioned go-to guy on one of the nation’s better teams, but his stock is largely tied to how well the Spartans do as team – more so than the rest of the players at the top of the list.

Winston is known as a winner, and that’s a good thing. But considering he’s not the type to put up completely overwhelming statlines, the Spartans have to get back to winning at a higher clip if he’s going to move up the list.